FOCUS ON THE FACTS: Trump's Misleading Statements About the January 6, 2021 Capitol Attack

WASHINGTON (AP) Former President Donald Trump said during his debate with President Joe Biden last week that the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol involved a relatively small group of people who, in many cases, were brought in by police.

But that’s not what happened. Thousands of his supporters were outside the Capitol that day, and hundreds of them stormed in, many of them beating and injuring law enforcement in brutal hand-to-hand combat as officers tried to stop them from breaking down windows and doors. There is ample video evidence of the violence, and more than 1,400 people have been charged with federal crimes in connection with the riot.

Many of those who stormed the Capitol echoed Trump’s false claims of election fraud, and some threateningly called out the names of lawmakers, particularly then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then-Vice President Mike Pence, who refused to attempt to challenge Biden’s legitimate victory. The rioters interrupted the certification of Biden’s victory, but lawmakers who had evacuated both chambers returned that night to finish.

Trump, now the presumptive Republican nominee to challenge Biden, has not only continued to mislead voters about what happened that day but has also praised the rioters, calling them hostages and promising to pardon them if he is elected. Here's a look at some of his false claims:

PEACEFULLY AND PATRIOTICALLY

CLAIM: During the debate, CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Trump what he would say to voters who believe you violated your constitutional oath by your actions and inaction on January 6, 2021, and are concerned that you might do it again? Trump simply responded: Well, I didn’t say that to anybody. I said it in a peaceful and patriotic way.

THE FACTS: In a speech delivered on the morning of January 6 on the White House Ellipse to thousands of supporters, Trump did indeed call on the crowd to march peacefully and patriotically to the Capitol. But he also used much more inflammatory language in other parts of his speech, such as when he told the crowd, “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”

Trump did not answer Tapper’s question about his inaction as his supporters stormed the building and injured police officers. More than three hours passed between the time his supporters violently breached the Capitol perimeter and Trump’s first attempt to disperse the rioters. He released a video message at 4:17 p.m. that day in which he asked his supporters to go home but reassured them: “We love you, you are very special.”

Some of the rioters who were prosecuted have testified in court that they believed they were following Trump’s instructions on January 6. And evidence presented at trial shows that far-right extremists were galvanized by a tweet from Trump calling on his supporters to a wild protest on January 6. “He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make this protest wild!!!” wrote one Oath Keeper member who was convicted of seditious conspiracy.

THE POLICE LET THEM IN

CLAIM: Trump said at the debate, “They’re talking about a relatively small number of people who went to the Capitol. And in many cases, they were herded in by the police.” The next day, Trump said at a rally, “A lot of these people were ordered in, right?” Police: “Come in, come in, come in.”

THE FACTS: More than 100 Capitol and Metropolitan Police officers were injured, some seriously, as they tried to stop rioters from entering the Capitol. In some cases, officers retreated or moved aside as they were overwhelmed by the violent mob that was advancing, but there is no evidence that any rioters were brought into the building.

In an internal memo released last year, U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said the allegation that our officers aided rioters and acted as tour guides was outrageous and false. Manger said the police were completely overwhelmed and outnumbered and that in many cases they resorted to de-escalation tactics to try to persuade rioters to leave the building.

The Capitol Police said in a statement this week that under extreme circumstances, our officers performed their duty to the best of their ability to protect members of Congress. With the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies and the National Guard, which more than doubled the number of officers on site, it took several hours to secure the U.S. Capitol. Ultimately, thanks to the dedication of our officers, none of the people they were tasked with protecting were injured and the legislative process continued.

NATIONAL GUARD RESPONSE

Claim: Trump said he offered Nancy Pelosi 10,000 National Guard troops and she now admits she refused. Referring to a video taken by Nancy Pelosi's daughter that day, Trump claimed that Nancy Pelosi said, “I take full responsibility for the events of January 6th.”

THE FACTS: Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that he offered to send National Guard troops to the Capitol and that his offer was rejected. He has previously said he signed an order to send 20,000 troops to the Capitol.

Although Trump was involved in discussions in the days leading up to January 6 about whether the National Guard would be called up before the joint session, he issued no such formal orders or requests before or during the riots, and the Guardsmen's arrival was delayed for several hours while Pentagon officials deliberated how to proceed.

In a 2022 interview with the Democratic-led House committee investigating the attack, then-acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller confirmed that there was no order from the president.

The Capitol Police Board decides whether to call National Guard troops to the Capitol, and two members of that board, the House sergeant at arms and the Senate sergeant at arms, decided after informal discussions not to call the Guard ahead of the joint session that was ultimately disrupted by Trump supporters, despite a request from Capitol Police. The House sergeant at arms reports to the House Speaker, who was then Nancy Pelosi, and the Senate sergeant at arms reports to then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. But Pelosi’s office said she was never informed of the request.

The council eventually requested help from the guards after the riots began, and Nancy Pelosi and John McConnell called the Pentagon to request military assistance. Mike Pence, who was in a secure location inside the building, also called the Pentagon to request backup.

In a video recently released by House Republicans, Nancy Pelosi is seen in the back of a car on January 6 talking to an aide. In the raw video recorded by her daughter, Pelosi angrily asks her aide why the National Guard wasn’t at the Capitol when the riots started. Why wasn’t the National Guard there in the first place? she asks.

“We were not held accountable for what was happening there and we should have been, it’s ridiculous,” Pelosi said, as her aide responded that security officials thought they had enough resources. “They clearly didn’t know and I take responsibility for not preparing them for more,” Pelosi said in the video.

There is no mention of a request from Trump, and Pelosi has never said she takes full responsibility for the events of January 6.

In a statement, Pelosi spokesman Ian Krager said Trump's repeated comments about Pelosi amounted to a revision of history.

Numerous independent fact-checkers have repeatedly confirmed that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not plan her own assassination on Jan. 6, Krager said. The House Speaker is not responsible for the security of the Capitol complex on Jan. 6 or any other day of the week.

INNOCENT RIOTERS

CLAIM: Trump told Biden during the debate: “What they did to such innocent people, you should be ashamed of what you did, how you destroyed so many people’s lives.”

THE FACTS: Echoing Trump’s false claims of a stolen election, Capitol rioters engaged in hand-to-hand combat with police, and many carried weapons including guns, knives, brass gloves, a pitchfork, a hatchet, a mace and a bow. They also used makeshift weapons including flagpoles, a table leg, a hockey stick and a crutch to attack officers. Officers were left bruised and bloodied, and some were dragged into the crowd and beaten. One officer was crushed in a doorframe and another suffered a heart attack after a rioter pressed a stun gun against his neck and shocked him multiple times. One rioter was accused of climbing scaffolding and firing a gun into the air during the melee.

Rioters smashed windows and doors, ransacking the Capitol and briefly occupying the Senate chamber. Senators had evacuated the building minutes earlier. They also tried to enter the House chamber, breaking windows and banging on doors. But police pushed them back with guns drawn.

Nearly 900 rioters have been convicted, with about two-thirds receiving prison sentences ranging from a few days to 22 years. Hundreds of people who entered the Capitol without attacking police or damaging the building have been charged only with minor misdemeanors.

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Associated Press journalists Barbara Whitaker, Alanna Durkin Richer, Melissa Goldin and Jill Colvin contributed to this report.

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Find AP fact checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

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